How We Met
by Hayley128
Summary: How one moment can change everything.


The night we met never seemed to be very special on the surface. Most people never realize our story began with something so simple. A chance encounter that changed everything for me.

I had just broken up with the person I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. He was the one, or at least I thought he was, and it left me fairly devastated. My best friend, Kenzi, decided that after a week of me wallowing in self-pity it was time for me to get out. It wasn't something I wanted to do, but she was right. I wasn't doing myself any favors.

We ended up walking down the street, window shopping because neither of us could afford anything in the expensive stores that surrounded us. We'd been doing that for a couple hours and it was starting to get dark, to the point that Kenzi commented it was far past time we ended up at a bar, preferably one where she could be elbow deep in a plate of wings.

I finally agreed and turned away from the last window, not looking as a bumped into someone hard. Bags went everywhere on the sidewalk and I panicked. "Shit, I'm sorry."

There was a hard sigh followed by, "Maybe you need to watch where you're going."

It was a slightly annoying response and I could tell that Kenzi was about to comment so I quickly stepped in. "Here, let me help you."

"No, it's fine," the woman said. She wouldn't look at me, concentrating solely on trying to get her things together. I noticed that she had been shopping at some of the stores Kenzi and I had been looking at earlier. I wondered if I saw her through the window.

"No, I didn't watch where I was going, remember? It's the least I can do." I bent down to grab a bag and our hands touched, causing her to finally look at me.

She was stunning. I felt an instant spark and couldn't stop the smile from appearing on my face, even though she was none too pleased with me. She actually raised an eyebrow at the smile on my face for a second before she stopped. Before she really looked at me.

"My God, you're beautiful."

I could have said the same of her. Her honey brown eyes especially drew me in and if she didn't look so frustrated, I had bet her smile would knock me over. I immediately hoped my smile would do the trick, something that only grew wider as she blushed a bright red.

"Sorry, I don't know why I said that," she apologized, lowering her gaze and avoiding my eyes.

"It's okay," I said and grabbed a couple bags for her. "I've gotten that before . . . though not from someone as attractive as you."

She didn't respond to my compliment, which isn't what I hoped for. I had wanted to get her name and find out more about her. Something drew me in and I made me completely ignore my best friend. And Kenzi does not like to be ignored.

"Yo, Bo-Bo," Kenzi said loudly. "I'm starving. Let's find me some food stat."

I ignored her for a second and concentrated on this woman that I had to know. "Sorry, we were on a mission for food. My name's Bo."

I extended my hand, but all she did was take the rest of her bags from me and got up. "Nice to meet you. Thanks for helping." She turned to go and moved out of my reach when I tried to stop her from leaving.

"Wait, let me buy you a drink."

I felt Kenzi give me a slap on the back when I didn't get a response. "Well, at least I know you're not against starting something up again."

I looked at her and scoffed. "What do you mean?"

"Please," Kenzi shook her head, "I know that look when I see it. It's the look you got pre-Ryan and his attractive yet douchy ways. You wanted that stiff chick."

My best friend had definitely caught me, but I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of being right. At least, not right now. First, I wanted to track down that woman who thought I was beautiful. No one had ever said something like that to me. Sure, I got complimented on my looks, but it never felt like it did when she said it.

I had to find out who she was but first, I needed to feed my best friend.

* * *

"Okay, I like this place."

I chuckled at the comment. "You like the fact we wandered in during happy hour and half off wings and appetizers."

"Don't forget the cheap drinks," Kenzi commented as though it was the most important thing she'd learned today. "This could be our new place since Ryan thinks he has claim to the other one."

I let out a sigh. I did not want to talk about anything that had to do with my ex. He's the one who broke it off, but I was the one who had to make changes. "His friend from college owns the bar. It's where we met. I think we can find somewhere else to drink."

"Well, enough about him," she said. "We need to get you away from thinking about anything Ryan. You're better off without him."

"I know that, Kenz," I said before taking a drink. "I know I have to move on."

What I wanted to admit was that I was sure I had met who I wanted to move on with earlier in the day, but I figured Kenzi would think I was crazy. Sure, I'd only been in her presence a minute, maybe even less, but there was something there. Her eyes had me and I knew the rest of her would draw me in just as fast.

I looked around the bar and thought about why people were there. Maybe some of them were like me and Kenzi, stopping in for a drink and something to eat, and maybe others were even there on a date. I looked to the tables and booths, trying to scope out if there were any that Kenzi and I could spy on while we finished our meal, when I saw her.

At first, I wasn't quite sure. The bar had dim lighting and I could only see her from the back so there was a chance my mind was letting me see what I wanted. Then she partially turned to the side and I knew. She was sitting with someone and I was instantly jealous. They were sitting too close for my liking and it made me think I didn't have a chance.

Then she laughed and I saw that smile for the first time. I was right: it knocked me over. I knew I had to go over to the bar and try again. The possible rejection would be worth it because, what if she didn't reject me? I didn't know if the woman next to her was a date or something more. There was a lot of unknowns but something told me going over to the bar would be worth my time.

"Bo-Bo, what are you looking at?"

I nodded toward the bar. "She's here."

"Who's she?" Kenzi asked, looking toward the bar. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at everyone sitting there until she turned to me. "I'm not following."

"The woman I ran into. She's sitting over there." I carefully pointed in her direction so she could see what I was seeing. "She's amazing."

"If you're into that," Kenzi commented then raised an eyebrow as she looked back at me, "which you clearly are. Are you going to go over there?"

"She's with someone." My comment sounded about as frustrated as I was. Every part of me wished that she was drinking alone so it would be easier to strike up a conversation. "Maybe she's on a date or something."

"Then we wait for the other chick to go to the bathroom or something," Kenzi offered. "Then you can go ahead and make your move."

I smiled as I watched her take a drink. "You sure haven't missed a beat at being my wingman."

"I hate to say it, but I did miss it a little," she said. "It was kind of boring going out with you and Ryan, even when Hale's with. If you end up with this one, it better not be as boring." She pointed a finger at me in warning.

"Point taken," I responded, laughing. "She doesn't look boring."

"And it looks like you have your chance."

I looked over to the bar and watched as the other woman got up and walked away from the bar. Her hand moved along her back as she walked past her and my jealousy spiked. I needed to talk to her so I could find out if there was any interest.

Kenzi and I high-fived for good luck as I got out of my chair and walked toward the bar. My brain was going through all the potential one-liners I could to get her attention, but then I realized I hadn't used a one-liner in three years. Probably even longer than that since I didn't use one on Ryan.

I quickly sat down on the other side of her and went for simple. "Hi."

What I heard was a sigh, something I thought I might get used to with her. "Look, I'm . . ." She stopped when she turned to look at me. "You."

I smiled. "That is some greeting. I saw you over here and I thought I'd try to offer you that drink again. Maybe you won't run away from me this time."

She looked a little uncomfortable and it made me wonder if it was me or the fact that she was here with someone else. "That's okay. As you see, I already have a drink."

I had figured she would try to get rid of me. "But I bumped into you and you kind of brightened my day with your comment. I don't get called beautiful very often."

There was that smile again and it made me think very inappropriate things. She turned her body more toward me and I saw that as a good sign. At least, she wasn't trying to ignore me. "Somehow, I don't think that's true."

"Not the way you said it." I leaned my body closer to hers. "So why can't I buy you a drink? Is it because you're with someone else?"

"Maybe," she said. "I did tell my friend it would just be the two of us tonight. I don't think she would appreciate the change."

I immediately noticed her choice of words and I loved it. Friend did not mean girlfriend so either she wasn't involved or she wasn't committed. I could work with both. "I don't think your _friend_ will mind if I buy you a drink, especially when I did crash into you today. Plus, you never told me your name."

She looked at the hand I extended for a moment before taking it and shaking my hand. Her hand was so soft but her handshake was strong, like she worked with her hands. "My name is Lauren."

"Nice to meet you officially," I said, keeping eye contact. "In case you forgot, my name's Bo."

"That's not one that I would easily forget." Lauren kept a half smile on her face as she looked at me. "Kind of original. Is it short for something?"

"Ysabeau," I answered. "Only my parents and grandfather call me that. It's just Bo for everyone else or any of the nicknames my best friend gives me."

Lauren chuckled and opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by her friend who seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Hey, Doc, maybe we should take this show on the road. I got an early day tomorrow."

She gave me an apologetic look before she turned to her friend. "Tamsin, this is the woman I knocked into earlier today. Turns out her and her friend also chose to eat here. She came over to offer to buy me a drink."

I decided to play nice. There might be a chance that even if her friend left, Lauren would stick around and sit with me and Kenzi. "I'm Bo. I can buy the next round if you want to stick around. I offered one to Lauren when we knocked into each other earlier but she ran off."

Tamsin looked me up and down and I could tell she was trying hard to dislike me. "Are you sure she didn't follow you here like some crazy lady? Wouldn't be the first time that happened, Lauren. Remember that one woman who followed you around like a lovesick puppy for a couple weeks?"

"I can assure you I didn't follow either of you," I said, wanting to be level-headed about the accusation. I sure hoped I didn't look like a stalker. "My bestie and I were only looking for food and ended up here. We've been here a couple hours. Kenzi discovered her love of the wings here and hasn't stopped eating yet."

The comment made Lauren laugh quietly, which made me smile, but it did nothing for her friend. "Uh-huh, whatever. Lauren, are we going?"

Lauren looked genuinely torn and I knew that was good for me. It meant that she wanted to talk to me more and that was a definite win. Her eyes hit mine and I thought I might have a chance. "Bo, could you give us a minute?"

I nodded and pointed toward where Kenzi was trying hard not to stare in our direction. "Sure, my friend and I are sitting right over there if you want to join us."

I walked back to the table with a smirk on my face, one that Kenzi picked up on immediately. "Well, that looked like it was successful. Until the friend show up, that is. Did you at least get some digits before you got chased away?"

"Nope," I answered with a shake of my head. "She needed to talk to her friend so I left them alone."

"Yeah, she did not like you," Kenzi said. "I don't think I've ever acted that way when someone tried to pick you up."

I wanted to point out that she had done just that a couple times, but decided against it. Then we would be in deep conversation about my exes when Lauren hopefully appeared again. That was not the impression I wanted to give and wanted Kenzi to be on board with that. "Lauren warned be that her friend would not be in for sharing their friend time."

We tried not to watch Lauren and Tamsin talk, even though it was clear that they were having a disagreement on whether or not to stay. I was trying not read too much into their body language because I didn't want to be disappointed if it looked like they were going to leave. In my mind, I couldn't let Lauren leave without getting her number or giving her mine.

Then I looked over and the worst thing happened: both of them were gone. "Kenz, did you see them leave? They're not by the bar anymore."

Kenzi looked around and looked back at me, frowning. "Sorry, Bo-Bo, I don't. That was fast. We barely stopped watching them for like 30 seconds. Her friend must have really wanted them to leave."

"Would it look too desperate for me to run out after them and try to track her down?" I asked. Then I remembered the comment Tamsin made about Lauren's admirers. "On second thought, I would prove Tamsin's stalker comment right."

"Tamsin's the friend?" She paused as I nodded. "There's no way you could be a stalker. You've been more of the love 'em and leave 'em type for the most part. Which I find endearing so don't complain. It's just you've never really run after someone."

"Well, things change." There was something about Lauren that made me want to run after her. I refused to believe the attraction was one sided. I saw how she looked at me. That wasn't the look of someone who wasn't interested and wanted to get rid of me. Unless she was an amazing actress, she wanted to talk more.

"I hope they don't change too much," someone said and when I looked up, I saw Lauren standing there at our table. "Granted I have no idea what you were just talking about just now."

"You're still here," I commented, stating the obvious. "When I didn't see you at the bar, I thought you left."

"Well, Tamsin walked out and I followed to make sure she was okay with me staying here and calling a ride later." She smiled at me. "She wanted me to tell you that she is a cop and has no problem using her 'cop skills' to deal with you if needed."

"Point taken." I gestured to the seat next to me. "Do you want to sit down? I can order another round and I think Kenzi will go for another round of wings."

Lauren looked from me to Kenzi and back again. "I'd like that."

* * *

"So it was a chance meeting that changed everything for me and hopefully, for my new wife," I say as I look down at Lauren sitting down next to me as I stand. "There's so much that could have happened to make us never meet. I found out that was the first time Lauren shopped at those stores in years. I wouldn't have been there is not for my best friend deciding I needed a cheer up. Kenzi and I could've gone to a different bar."

"This could go on for a while," I heard Kenzi whisper to Tamsin. "Sum it up, Bo-Bo!"

That drew laughter from the small crowd we had at our reception. "Okay, okay." I smiled, looking over everyone there. "What I mean is that so many things had to line up in order for Lauren and I to literally run into each other that day. What was ever better was that Lauren took a chance on me and stuck around, listening to Kenz and I argue what the best barbeque sauce was."

"It was an amazing argument," Lauren added, chuckling at the memory.

I laugh a little at that, too. "Anyway, that chance meeting resulted in me meeting the love of my life and gaining a whole new group of loving friends and family. I can't thank everyone enough for being here and celebrating with Lauren and me. So thank you!"

I sit back down and immediately give into the shouted requests to give my new wife a kiss. She grins against my lips and we keep the kiss short, knowing our families will request more and there will be plenty of kissing later. And even more than kissing.

"That was an amazing story," Lauren says as we break away from each other.

"It's the one we'll be telling our kids and grandkids one day," I say to her. "It was the best day of my life."

"Mine, too," Lauren said. "I met the love of my life, even if she did try to take me out her a well-placed shoulder."

"It's not like I hit you on purpose," I say. There's a smile on my face as I do because we've had this playful argument before. "How do I know you didn't run into me on purpose because of how beautiful you thought I was."

There's the blush I love. "You're lucky I don't regret saying that."

"That's because you love me."

Lauren leans in and kisses my lips again. "I really do."

I look into her eyes as she says it and I know I'm going to be happy for the rest of my life.

* * *

 **A/N** : It's been awhile, right? The holiday season was especially busy and then I got the flu. :( Things are looking up though and this little one shot was my way of working out the writing bugs. Working on the in progress stuff next! I haven't forgotten them. Please let me know what you think of this one! Until next time. Twitter: hayley128 :)


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